State Must Fund Licensed Care ~ State of Reform Interview with CEO Deb Murphy

State Must Fund Licensed Care ~ State of Reform Interview with CEO Deb Murphy

Letter to our membership, 

We had reached out to State of Reform, an organization dedicated to bridging health care and health policy in Washington state and beyond, to gain their interest in running a story about the recent nursing facility closures in our state. 

On July 11th, I was interviewed by Emily Boerger, a writer for State of Reform, in a Q&A format. 

The result of that interview can be found in 5 things Washington using this link.  

5 Things Washington news is widely read by state legislators. This particular issue has coverage of the House Speaker Election and I am confident that legislators named in my interview will know they have been singled out as those to whom we must look to adequately fund senior care and hold accountable for the recent nursing facility closures. 

While this could be considered a bold public confrontation of our elected policy leaders, I believe it is necessary to force change and encourage others, both elected policy leaders and the public, to join with us and demand better funding for low income seniors in skilled nursing facilities.   This crisis cannot be ignored and dismissed as a normal and historically consistent occurrence.  These closures are not normal and they shouldn’t be accepted as such.  Nor should we point to macro statistics and conclude that there’s sufficient capacity to care for seniors in skilled nursing homes or in alternative options, as if to say, these closures don’t matter.  If you are a resident, family member or an employee in a facility that is closing, IT DOES MATTER.  There are real human consequences to these closures; now is not the time to protect those in power, now is the time to disrupt and force change. 

I invite you to tell your own unique stories to your elected policy leaders; amplify our voices and together make senior care a TOP FUNDING PRIORITY.

Best, Deb

Deb Murphy, MPA, J.D., Chief Executive Officer, LeadingAge Washington